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"He will find a way but there are other matters he needs to address like his marriage. His wife has become extremely ill from the shock and stress of the situation.

"He is a man who has fallen from grace. He was a person of respect in a highly respected profession. An error of judgement has ruined that."

Chairman of the bench Peter Hyson jailed MacCarthy for six-months.

He said: "We have had to balance the impact that this has had on you and your professional standing, on your reputation in the community with the fact that you were in a position of trust and that position of trust was in the justice system.

"We also recognise there was 62 claims over six months and that total amount was in excess of £5,000."

MacCarthy, of Ivybridge, was told he must pay £115 towards victim services and due to his time in custody, costs would not apply.